A study of the chemical vapor deposited silicon carbide whisker growth and whisker-containing composite coating

Many researchers have studied silicon carbide due to its excellent mechanical and chemical properties. Silicon carbide whiskers are important for reinforcement of CMC composites. However, metallic catalyst, which is necessary for the growth of whiskers, can cause degradation of their properties. Thus, we made silicon carbide whiskers without using a metallic catalyst. Whiskers were obtained with an input gas ratio of above 20, and their diameter decreased as the input gas ratio increased. We also deposited whisker-containing coatings based on these conditions by using nitrogen as a dilutant gas. The coatings obtained showed pebble-like structures, and their morphologies differ according to the whiskers grown under the coating layer.